Yoram Cohen, former head of Israel’s internal security agency (Shin Bet), alleges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought his agency’s surveillance of the IDF commander and Mossad director.
According to Cohen, who led the Shin Bet from 2011 to 2016, Netanyahu requested Shin Bet surveillance of the IDF chief and Mossad chief. He refused these requests, stating they were unauthorized.
Cohen explained to Kan Reshet Bet radio that Netanyahu’s concern stemmed from a sensitive, months-long security operation, fearing leaks could cause significant harm. Netanyahu, according to Cohen, wanted Shin Bet to monitor individuals involved in the operation to detect and address any leaks.
“The prime minister asked me for things… and a lot of things I told him, ‘I’m not allowed to do that’,” Cohen stated on Kan Reshet Bet radio. “It was an important event, an important security move Israel had made preparations for. The prime minister was afraid, justly as far as I’m concerned, that this issue, because it takes months to organize, will leak and get to places it shouldn’t and cause damage.”
“The prime minister asked me to use my tools, that anyone privy to this operation would be surveilled by the Shin Bet, and if someone leaked it to someone or another, then we’d know and take care of him,” Cohen said.
The Times of Israel reports that this relates to a 2011 incident involving then-IDF chief Benny Gantz and Mossad director Tamir Pardo, both privy to highly classified plans for a potential strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Cohen’s account appears to support a 2018 report by Channel 12’s investigative program ‘Uvda’, which first disclosed Netanyahu’s request. ‘Uvda’ reported that Cohen informed Netanyahu that such actions against the IDF and Mossad were inappropriate.
In the radio interview, Cohen further alleged that individuals close to Netanyahu were promoting a narrative blaming the October 7th Hamas attack, which caught Israel off guard, entirely on the military.
Netanyahu responded by accusing Cohen of engaging in partisan politics and creating a false controversy.
“The Prime Minister acted to protect a vital state secret, followed legal recommendations, acted according to the law, and did not infringe on anyone’s rights,” stated Netanyahu’s office.
Gantz, now leader of the National Unity Party, responded, stating he wasn’t surprised by Netanyahu’s actions, citing the Prime Minister’s consistently suspicious nature.
“Even when I came to him with mature operational plans, he was always suspicious, always briefed, always trying to find out if something was being hidden from him,” the former general commented.
Netanyahu holds the record for Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, having served from 2009 to June 2021 and again since December 2022, his tenure interrupted briefly by a coalition government under Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.